COLLECTOR’S CORNER
Tokarevs were made in such large quantities that they still regularly appear at auction. Rock Island Auctions sold 1941-vintage SVT40 No. GK1210 for $2,000 in February 2020, and VB5645 for $2,300 in June 2021. Morphy Auctions sold SNT40 and its bayonet for $1,792 in June 2018, while Arundel Militaria recently sold deactivated SVT40 No. NM5180 of 1941 for £395. However, price depends not only on condition but also on numbers which, owing to constant refurbishment, all too rarely match. The magazines originally issued with each rifle, in particular, rarely stayed with it. The presence of Finnish army marks, usually ‘SA’ within a rectangular cartouche, can also be desirable as they provide links with the Winter War. Evidence of German use, usually in the form of Waffenamt inspectors’ marks on refurbished guns (such as an eagle above ‘WaA 407’), is less common.